The Quiet Game

by Greg Iles

The Quiet Game

book data

592 ratings, 3.97 average rating, 63 reviews (more data...)

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published

July 1st 2000 by Signet

binding

Paperback, 592 pages

isbn

0451180429 (isbn13: 9780451180421)

description

Is there space in the overcrowded courtroom for one more writer of sharp, very suspenseful legal thrillers? Yes--if that writer is Greg Iles, who has ...more

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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 773)

All ratings | 5 stars (162) | 4 stars (250) | 3 stars (136) | 2 stars (16) | 1 star (3) | avg 3.97

all | this edition

Mary

Mary rated it:

(review of isbn 0340686030)

01/23/08

This book had me trapped in the stinging closet of self-loathing for the very short time it took me to race through it. And thank goodness is was fast-paced, because oh my God did it cause some eyerolling that would have been medically marginal had it continued unabated. The characters were so incredibly stereotypical and alternately condescending/patronizing in so many ways that I audibly sighed to myself while reading this, as if to beg myself to turn back and put this book down. But I couldn'...more

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Susan

Susan rated it:

(review of isbn 0340686030)

01/08/08

Read in July, 1999

Penn Cage is a best selling author of legal fiction and successful attorney and a man with big wounds to heal. He takes his young daughter home to Nachez, Mississippi in hopes that his own mother and father can help he and his daughter heal from the long death of his wife and her mother. Once there, he inadvertently steps into an old and still painful wound of his home town. Illes' Mortal Fear was one of the most compelling books I have ever read and I've waited a long time for his next one. The...more

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Julie

Julie rated it:

(review of isbn 0340686030)

03/14/08

Read in March, 2007

recommends it for: Lindsey Wilson

This book has become one of my favorite recommends of late. Greg Iles is a master at mixing fiction with history and creating a story that is unforgettable. I would love to meet with him and ask him his inspiration for some of his wonderful books. This is a great book!

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Julie

Julie rated it:

01/12/08

Read in January, 2008

Loved this one! Great legal drama with lots of twists and turns. Very well-written. This guy knows how to build suspense and his characters have surprising depth. Definitely one of his best.

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Dave

Dave rated it:

04/28/08

bookshelves: fiction

Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in March, 2008

I think I bought this book at a used book store (possibly the Book Barn near Niantic, CT, but I don't really remember...) mainly because I'd read other Greg Iles books such as Dead Sleep and Footprints of God and seemed to remember enjoying them. Or, at least not hating them. Plus, the book was only $1, so you really can't go wrong for that price. (Seriously, if Brotherhood of the Holy Shroud had only cost one dollar, I would have totally reviewed it differently...)

So The Quiet Game was s...more I think I bought this book at a used book store (possibly the Book Barn near Niantic, CT, but I don't really remember...) mainly because I'd read other Greg Iles books such as Dead Sleep and Footprints of God and seemed to remember enjoying them. Or, at least not hating them. Plus, the book was only $1, so you really can't go wrong for that price. (Seriously, if Brotherhood of the Holy Shroud had only cost one dollar, I would have totally reviewed it differently...)

So The Quiet Game was sitting on my shelf for awhile, but after finishing up the Civil War histories, I figured I could use a good crime-thriller. Not to mention the fact that, unlike those bloody huge Civil War books, Quiet Game was a nice little paperback that I could easily read on the subway and carry around (see, you gotta keep these important considerations in mind when choosing your next book to read!) The story also has some overtones & history connecting it to the Civil War, so that made it a little more interesting for me.

I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. Very similar to a John Grisham novel, though less centered on lawyers and court proceedings. There IS a fairly important trial with the classic super-unexpected-new-evidence-introduced-at-the-last-minute-which-shocks-the-courtroom twist at the end, but it doesn't take place until the very end of the novel, so if you're looking for a story with a lot of courtroom proceedings & arguments a la John Grisham, you may be disappointed.

The story takes place in Natchez, Mississippi and involves a lot of civil rights issues and connects with several important events which took place back in the 60's, such as the rule of Hoover at the FBI. This gave the novel a little more depth and impact and raised it above the usual mindless thriller.

...Though, to be fair, there were still a number of ridiculous gunfights and plot twists that do not bear closer examination. Just smile and nod and move on when you get to them; enjoy the book for what it is and keep your expectations reasonable....less

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Bill

Bill rated it:

(review of isbn 0340686030)

02/04/08

bookshelves: mystery-suspense

Read in November, 2000

Greg Iles has quickly become one of my favorite authors. His characters are so well drawn that it gets very tough to put the novel down each night and turn the light off. This hadn't fared well for me when I was reading it as I'd had a nagging cough and the late nights weren't helping the battle.

The Quiet Game is a winner, and one I would suspect could easily make the transition to the big screen. I hope it does, because a writer of Iles' talent deserves as much recognition as any of the bes...more

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Amy

Amy rated it:

(review of isbn 0340686030)

08/22/08

Couldn't put it down. Iles is a master at delivering a complicated plot and slowly unravelling it. I liked the hero, Penn Cage, and his father even more -- the small town Mississippi doctor who took care of everyone. I found it interesting how the two main female characters seem to be the same type -- rich, smart, sexy -- and aggressive with this man whose heart is still aching over the loss of his wife to cancer. Many other strong characters so that sometimes the stories seem more character ...more

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Mikala

Mikala rated it:

01/13/08

Read in January, 2008

I nearly gave up on this book, but am so glad I perservered. Once the story really got going, I was on the edge of my seat.

The book tells the story of a man who is feeling lost after the loss of his wife, not knowing how best to help his daughter grieve, finding love again and dealing with his past when he returns to his hometown and becomes deeply involved in investigating a racial civil-rights murder that occured 40 years ago, at the risk of his life and those who he loves.

Reading it...more

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Erin

Erin rated it:

(review of isbn 0340686030)

11/23/08

bookshelves: adult---honest-

My guy read of the month. It was fun but at times it dragged a little.

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Leah

Leah rated it:

(review of isbn 0340686030)

11/25/08

Read in November, 2008

I loved this book - I think it is my favorite Greg Iles book I've read.

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Charles

Charles rated it:

(review of isbn 0340686030)

07/02/08

Read in September, 2001

recommended to Charles by: no one
recommends it for: Anyone/everyone

This just so happens to be the author's favorite of his novels, as it is mine, among his many fine works. The Quiet Game has all the intrigue, action, strong characters, and compelling, plot twists you could ever hope for. Greg Iles has many other great books, but this one is, to use an old literary cliche, top notch. If you've got a long weekend to relax around the house, or if you're taking a trans-Atlantic flight, you can't go wrong with Greg Iles's The Quiet Game.

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Beverly

Beverly rated it:

(review of isbn 0340686030)

07/04/07

Read in June, 2007

recommends it for: someone stuck in an elevator

Going back home to escape from the death of his wife, he should have remembered the old cliche you can't go home again. In his search for peace, Penn Cage should have taken himself to Iraq but instead he returns to his home town and is quickly found in the middle of everything. Beat up, blown up and burnt I guess could make you forget your own troubles. And yet there is a happy ending, whatever. Not a best effort by this author.

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Clarissa

Clarissa rated it:

(review of isbn 0340686030)

06/12/08

Here's the thing, if you've read one small town lawyer takes on the big guy in the racist south book, you've read them all...HOWEVER, Greg Isles is a wonderful writer, and I do pick up his books whenever they show up at the local used bookstore, and this book was better than most of the genre that is out there. Well written, fast paced, nice twists, all in all a very enjoyable read that doesn't break any new ground.

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Barbara

Barbara rated it:

(review of isbn 0340686030)

03/24/08

Read in March, 2008

recommended to Barbara by: Dave Lewis
recommends it for: anyone who enjoys murder mysteries.

A friend and neighbor suggested this book as his story--he being from Atlanta,GA. I agree that this is a southern story with all the complications that inevitably surround the characters. It is basically a murder mystery but even more so it is the development of book characters into real people who lived thru the 60s,70s, and 80s in Natchez, Miss.
A classic good guy-bad guys story and reads very well.

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Dave

Dave rated it:

(review of isbn 0340686030)

08/12/08

Another wonderful book. Not as spellbinding as Blood Memory. I guess I should have read this book before Turning Angel. As I was reading this, the story started to sound kind-of familier. It dawned on me that Turning Angel refers back to this book numerous times. So, because of reading them out of order, I was aware of the story and main plot. Well worth reading (but in order).

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John

John rated it:

(review of isbn 0340686030)

08/07/08

Read in August, 2008

A big, sprawling, Southern mess of a book. Completely enjoyable. I'm fourth generation Southern, once removed (I'm the only person in my family born West of the Mississippi), but I can still smell out someone faking it on the literary Chitlin Circuit. This is the real deal. It's over the top and blowsy, but in a Dixie sort of way.

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Jennifer

Jennifer rated it:

(review of isbn 0340686030)

06/29/08

Read in June, 2008

This is another cast-off from my husband. I have to admit that I really liked this book and got wrapped up in the characters, If you like John Grisham you will love this author. It had all the elements of a satisfying book for me: an interesting story, a good pace and complex characters. It was about the south, and racism and relationships.

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Kimmay

Kimmay rated it:

(review of isbn 0525937935)

01/11/08

bookshelves: iles-greg

Read in January, 2008

Good book, alot of twists and turns. This is the second book of Greg Iles that I have read. Turning Angel being the first. I liked this book even better than Turning Angel, it was very believable and well written. The Cage family seems very likable even though they are flawed you still like them, very realistic feel.

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Margie

Margie rated it:

(review of isbn 0340686030)

04/09/08

Read in January, 2006

This is Greg Iles' best book. I loved it. It had all the elements of a great book for me: good pace, wonderful story, well written and satisfying. It was about the south, and racism and relationships and drama. I highly recommend it. I have read three others of his books but this is THE BEST.

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Brett

Brett rated it:

(review of isbn 0340686030)

06/02/08

Read in January, 2002

recommended to Brett by: Gray Fiser
recommends it for: Anyone

While Greg has dabbled in several different genres, he spends most of his time in Southern crime thrillers. His books are generally page turners, and this one is probably his prototypical work. Very entertaining. I especially love his early stuff (such as this one).

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